Children's Home run by Fairfields House Support Services Limited in Tameside

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 1 Registered provider: Fairfields House Support Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager were registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on the 12 and 13 November 2024. Inspectors identified serious concerns about safeguarding practices in the home and ineffective leadership and management arrangements.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, two compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These compliance notices were in relation to Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the actions taken by the provider to meet the compliance notice issued in relation to Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard). Ofsted found that the provider had not taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Since the inspection, strategies have been implemented to ensure that the child is supervised when spending time in the community. However, staff do not understand the rationale for these plans being in place. Staff do not recognise the risks posed to the child from peers in the community or the potential risk posed to others from the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 2 child. Therefore, staff do not understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding the child and others.

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This monitoring visit

Plans to support the child when missing from the home or following incidents of self- harming behaviour do not include all the appropriate strategies to ensure the child’s safety and well-being. This means that staff do not have the guidance to follow to ensure that the appropriate action is taken to locate the child in a timely manner or reduce further incidents of self-harm .

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This monitoring visit

Staff supervise the child in school. However, the child has been left unattended by staff. As a result, the child has been able to have unsupervised access to the internet, where they have accessed inappropriate content.

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This monitoring visit

Plans do not include all the known risks and vulnerabilities for the child. Plans to manage the risks of harmful sexual behaviour do not consider concerns in respect of the local community and the location of the home. The child’s plans are updated with reference to incidents that have occurred. However, strategies for managing risk have not been reviewed following incidents. As a result, staff do not have guidance to follow in practice to manage or reduce further incidents that may occur.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not take effective action to safeguard the child’s welfare. Staff do not follow the plans in place to manage the child’s use of electronic cigarettes. Furthermore, acts of vandalism to the home caused by peers in the community have not been recorded in the child’s plans.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not have the relevant knowledge, skills or understanding to provide the level of care that the child needs. Opportunities to improve staff knowledge have been provided for some staff. However, some staff could not identify how this had improved their practice or their understanding of the child.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit identified further shortfalls in safeguarding practices and the staff’s knowledge and understanding of the child’s risks and vulnerabilities.

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This monitoring visit

A new responsible individual has been appointed. She is aware of the shortfalls and is beginning to take some action to address these.

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This monitoring visit

A further notice is issued under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard).

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice issued under Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) and other requirements were not reviewed as part of this monitoring visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the child’s records include information in respect of all of the child’s risks and vulnerabilities; that plans include clear guidance for staff to follow to safeguard the child; that measures are in place to prevent the child from accessing 13 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 5 the internet on an unsupervised basis and that the staff are provided with training that is relevant to the child’s risks and needs.

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the homes workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there is consistent oversight of the care being provided in the home and that any shortfalls in staff practice are identified and addressed. Furthermore, the registered person must ensure that the child’s records are reviewed and updated and that the staff team undergoes training relevant to the child’s needs. 13 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 27 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 6 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the child’s records are up to date and include all the relevant information following incidents.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the physical home environment is furnished and maintained to a good standard. 27 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. 27 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 7 The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d) (8))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they obtain employment histories and references for all new staff working in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or 27 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 8 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all serious incidents in respect of the child are notified to the regulator.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises. (Regulation 21 (a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s bedrooms are not used for staff to sleep in. 27 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all local authority plans are obtained for the child and that concerns are escalated if these are not received in a timely manner. 27 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 27 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 9 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1)(3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fairfields House Support Services Limited

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Inspectors

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Sally Croft, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2689909 11 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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